


Always Find A Way

by Wolfling



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene, Stilinski Family Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 04:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3923290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfling/pseuds/Wolfling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened when the Sheriff went back to unlock Stiles' handcuffs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Always Find A Way

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I wrote really quickly when I recently rewatched the ep. Started out as just a head canon thing (based mostly on Stiles' assertion that he'd find a way out if his Dad tried to lock him up to keep him from going after Scott) that hopefully I have managed to edit into an actual fic.

Sheriff Stilinski was nothing if not a man of his word.

Granted, handcuffing Stiles to a desk wasn't exactly hobbling but it was close enough that he felt it fulfilled the promised punishment for leaving the country without permission. Again.

Though really, half his anger had been at himself for thinking even for a minute that Stiles wouldn't do just that, not when it was Scott that was in danger. He should've known that Stiles was giving in too easily when he agreed to let Stilinski try going through official channels first. He liked to pride himself on knowing when his kid was playing him, even if he hadn't always known _why_ , but this time he'd bought Stiles' promise to wait.

So that was half his anger and the rest had really just been redirected fear -- fear that in spite of his best efforts to prevent it, his kid had been walking into a situation that could legitimately get him killed and there hadn't been a damned thing he could do about it. 

Which probably explained the sizable if slightly shameful sense of relief handcuffing Stiles had given him. For once he was confident he could take his eyes off Stiles and know he was still going to be where Stilinski expected him to be.

Still, he didn't linger too long over pizza and conversation with Malia because while he wanted to make his point to Stiles about lying and taking off, he didn't want to overdo it. So they ate fast and Stilinski ordered a pizza to go with Stiles' preferred toppings. He dropped Malia off (Nice girl if straightforward to the point of bluntness. It amused him that this is who his never tell the truth when you can make up an outrageous lie son ended up with.) then headed back to the station, mentally debating whether to let Stiles go before or after he's eaten the pizza...

Only to find empty handcuffs set on the edge of the desk and no Stiles.

He had one moment of panic (Stiles was gone! _Again!_ ) before Stiles rounded the corner, his pockets visibly stuffed with items from the crappy vending machines in the break room. He was currently stuffing his face with doritos. He stopped in his tracks when he saw his dad.

"Is that pizza for me?" he asked with a mouthful of doritos, eyes lighting up.

And Stilinski, he wanted to be mad, but he just... he couldn't. This, _this_ was his kid in a nutshell. All ill mannered exuberance after casually doing something clever and heart attack inducing to his father.

So Stilinski just sighed and handed over the box.

Stiles beamed as he set it on the table and opened it, taking out a slice and cramming about half of it in his mouth at once. 

"Try to remember to chew," Stilinski told him, any remaining anger regarding Stiles running off fading. Right now he was more worried about the possibility of his son choking.

Stiles mumbled something indecipherable around the pizza and gestured with his free hand. Stilinski sighed again and sat down to wait for Stiles to finish inhaling his food.

"Lock pick?" he asked a few minutes later when Stiles was on his third slice and finally showing signs of slowing down enough to be understandable if he tried to talk.

"Conned one of the newbie deputies into thinking I'd been fooling around and accidentally hand cuffed myself to the desk," Stiles replied then frowned. "I probably should be offended how easily he believed I was that much of an idiot."

 _Of course he did._ It would never cease to amaze Stilinski the trouble Stiles was able to get himself into and out of with just his tongue. "And the reason you're still at the station?" He would've figured that Stiles would've just driven himself home if he got free.

"Because this is where you expected me to be," Stiles said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Stilinski blinked at that. 

"Look," Stiles continued, expression turning more serious, "I get why the hand cuffs. I freaked you out when I took off." He took a deep breath. "And I'm sorry I made you worry, but I'm not sorry I went. It was _Scott_ , Dad. I had to go. But I'm willing to accept the consequences of my actions. Ground me, hand cuff me to another desk, hell, put the cameras back in my room if you want, although I should warn you if you're thinking about doing that that I haven't been able to explain to Malia why sneaking in my bedroom window at 2 am is a bad thing and so you might see things you can't uns-"

"Stiles!" Stilinski interrupted before the word picture his son was painting could get any clearer.

"Right," Stiles said, pausing for a second and Stilinski could practically see him rewinding the conversation until he could find the point he'd been trying to make. "What I'm trying to say is that I had to do what I did, but I'm sorry I freaked you out and I'll willingly go along with whatever you need to do to be less freaked out."

Stilinski thought about that for a long moment before admitting, "I honestly can't tell if that makes me feel better or worse about this whole thing." 

"Better," Stiles replied immediately. "Actually I was hoping for 'that's a real mature attitude to have about this, son. So mature that I don't have to ground you after all.'"

Now that he knew how to react to. "Nice try, but you're still grounded," he said with his best 'you're busted' grin.

And while this entire conversation really had been driving home to Stilinski how much his son had matured, Stiles' long groan of defeat to that comment drove home the fact that there he hadn't completely grown up.

Not yet.


End file.
